Michel Bellemare • Building transit

The world's great cathedrals took generations to build.
Although their original builders knew it was impossible to finish
the work in their lifetimes, they drew up plans and started
construction anyway. Why? Perhaps they had a better perspective of
time, and a more clear understanding of the importance of handing
down something wonderful to future generations.

By The Ottawa CitizenMarch 6, 2008

The world's great cathedrals took generations to build. Although their original builders knew it was impossible to finish the work in their lifetimes, they drew up plans and started construction anyway. Why? Perhaps they had a better perspective of time, and a more clear understanding of the importance of handing down something wonderful to future generations.

The short attention span of today's society presents a remarkable contrast to that longer view. A focus on quarterly results in business, rapid technological changes, busy family life, and democracy's next election all conspire against a multi-generational point of view. We need to be conscious of this tendency toward short-term thinking when making important decisions about how to build a city and its various components.

Ottawa's new light-rail plan deserves careful scrutiny, not only because of the magnitude of the financial resources required, but also because of the need to ensure our investment stands the test of time. Some call this "cathedral thinking."

Although the world may not need any more cathedrals, it can use more durable solutions on a whole range of issues, including transit.

The city's previous north-south light-rail plan would not have stood the test of time. It was an expensive proposal to serve few commuters and further congest downtown streets. It also would have postponed investments for more pressing transit needs across the city.

Light-rail is supposed to be fast, efficient, and futuristic. Such positive connotations generate considerable support for the concept of rail. They also create high expectations.

People should expect light rail to meet actual and future needs, serve as many areas as possible, increase ridership, and generally improve our current transportation system.

The good news is much of Ottawa's rapid transit system is already built. It's called the Transitway, and its original builders made preparations for a future conversion to light-rail.

Real rapid transit requires giving buses or trains the exclusive right to travel within a dedicated corridor. It's the only way to eliminate conflicts with other vehicles and maintain a reasonable speed between stops. You can see that downtown is where the Transitway slows to a crawl. Let's fix that problem with a tunnel — from around Lees transit station to Bayview.

Today's residents of cities such as Montreal, Toronto, New York, Paris and London owe a debt of gratitude to their ancestors for having had the foresight, decades ago, to invest in underground rapid transit. In Ottawa, a downtown tunnel would enhance our city's wonderful yet unfinished cathedral called the Transitway.

Of the various options to consider in the coming weeks, the best possible plan will include east-west light-rail from Blair to Baseline stations through a downtown tunnel. Further light-rail conversion and extension of the Transitway going east, west and south must follow, perhaps preceded by new bus rapid transit corridors.

With an upgraded rapid transit network, the stage will be set for more efficient and reliable public transit in Ottawa. The future of transit is shorter and more frequent local bus routes carrying people from their neighbourhood to the nearest Transitway station, for a fast and comfortable ride to their ultimate destination.

Securing funding for a big project like finishing the Transitway and converting it to light rail is not impossible. Just look at two provincial and federal transit investments for the Greater Toronto area and Hamilton, announced last year.

In March 2007, the federal and provincial governments announced $1.3 billion in funding to extend a subway line in Toronto. A similar investment for Ottawa (a third of Toronto's population of 2.5 million) comes to about $420 million, a little more than what the federal and provincial governments have already committed to the nation's capital for public transit.

But it turns out Toronto's transit money was only a down payment. Much more is on the way for the Greater Toronto area.

Last June, the Ontario government launched a $17.5-billion rapid transit action plan for the Greater Toronto area and Hamilton. In total, 52 projects will be built during the next 12 years and financed over half a century. The province will cover two thirds of the cost with the federal government asked to cover the remaining one third.

A comparable provincial rapid transit action plan for Ottawa (14.5 per cent of the size of the Greater Toronto area and Hamilton) would equate to an additional $2.5 billion over the next 12 years. Since future generations would benefit greatly from such an investment, the city's share of the cost could also be amortized over a 50-year period, if necessary.

With its fair share of funding from provincial and federal governments, a 20-year, three- to four-billion-dollar rapid transit action plan for Canada's capital is both feasible and overdue.

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